The Centrahoma Poltergeist

Bill and Maxine McWethy, their eighteen-year-old daughter Twyla, and her daughter, Desiree were living a quiet life in Centrahoma, Oklahoma. The town was so small that they didn’t even have a police station. Until one day in the summer of 1990 when a poltergeist named Michael moved in with them. And made himself at home…

 

On June 15, 1990, the McWethy family was sitting outside trying to cool off from the summer heat. Rocks suddenly started flying from nowhere and pelting the house. Assuming that it was a group of bored idiots hiding in the dark, Bill got up and yelled “Stop it!”. But whoever it was didn’t listen. For the rest of the night, rocks went flying – breaking the windows and slamming into the walls. Bill called up some neighbors for help, but no one was able to find out who was doing it.

 

The next night it happened again. It happened off and on for the next couple of months. And try as they might, no one could catch whoever was doing it. One night, neighbors gathered once again to catch the culprit. They marked a bunch of stones with nail polish and threw them around. Soon they came flying back towards the house. When they couldn’t find who did it they tried throwing the stones into the lake. Then a bunch of wet stones flew back at the house. With no explanation, people started to think it was a ghost.

 

By August, the McWethys were so scared that they called the county sheriff. A deputy went to investigate and as soon as he got to the house, stones started flying at his patrol car. He got out anyway and went to see who was doing it. He couldn’t find anyone either, so he left.  The next day the McWethy’s called and requested that the sheriff come to the house. According to the McWethys, the sheriff said “if there’s nothing I can see to shoot, I’m not coming.”

 

The invisible assailant didn’t stop there. One night, Twyla and Desiree decided to sit outside. Instead of stones – money came flying out of the dark! Quarters, dimes, nickels, and pennies.  On another occasion, Maxine went out to the toolshed with a friend. They were attacked with pieces of metal, screws, nails, etc. There was a typewriter in the toolshed and as they ran away – the women could hear someone typing on it.

 

The family thought they’d be safe indoors during the cold weather, but they were wrong. The stones outside became random objects inside. It seemed that the “ghost” would just start flinging whatever it could find. Sheets would get pulled off the beds and rooms would be messed up. (I would be furious if a ghost made extra housework for me!!)

 

The McWethys called the local newspaper for help. The Coalgate Record Register sent Helen Langdon and another reporter out to the house. They admittedly rolled their eyes all the way there. Then they walked into the house and found the kitchen floor covered in stones that suddenly started flying at Twyla McWethy. The reporters searched the kitchen for any holes in the walls that the rocks or wind could get through. They found nothing.

 

 

Helen Langdon was petrified and tried to talk to the ghost. She asked if it was “of God” Whatever it was started throwing the stones at her. They all went inside to talk. After a bit, Twyla stood up and Helen saw a bunch of stones where Twyla was sitting. Twyla told her that sometimes she finds stones in her bed when she wakes up. Also, Twyla and Maxine had been hearing someone saying “Pssst” around the house. To Helen, it sounded like the activity was centered around Twyla.  

 

Soon the house was being investigated by reporters and paranormal investigators. Sometimes they would spend the night. They all experienced paranormal activity including being scratched, slapped, and pushed. They could even hear it. The sound was described as almost like a meow – but awful. One thing everyone noticed was that if Twyla wasn’t home, nothing would happen. The concept of a poltergeist started to make sense. 

 

Poltergeists are noisy malicious spirits. They love to throw stuff, make messes and sometimes hit or scratch people. A poltergeist is said to attach itself to someone, starting when they’re an adolescent. Some say they are created by sadness or trauma. The big question was – why Twyla?

 

A paranormal investigator named Shirley Padley brought a camera crew to investigate. She claimed to have gotten the poltergeist on tape saying “This is Michael”  She claimed he told her that his name was Michael Dale Sutherland. The poltergeist also supposedly claimed that he told her he was from Saturn. He also told them that his mother killed him because he was deformed. Apparently, Michael lies a lot.

 

The McWethy family has since moved away and Michael went with them. Twyla has said that Michael still makes appearances, but not as often as he used to. 

 

And a big thanks to my sister-in-law Carrie (born and raised in Oklahoma) for telling me about this case!

 

https://edmondlifeandleisure.com/you-want-to-hear-a-really-good-ghost-story-p11673-76.htm

 

https://anomalien.com/intriguing-case-of-the-centrahoma-poltergeist/